Journalists to grill Nana Addo today

July 18, 2017164 Views

President Akufo-Addo will today, answer questions from journalists at the Flagstaff House, as he opens up himself for assessment of his six months in office.

Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid, has said the President will not use the platform to shower praises on himself but will use the occasion to touch on his achievements and challenges so far, and also outline policies he intends rolling out to enable his administration to fulfil its many promises to Ghanaians.

The meeting, scheduled for midday, will give the media the opportunity to ask the President critical questions about developments within his administration which he has not sufficiently addressed.
Mustapha Hamid told Citi News the President believes that it is important to engage the citizenry through the media and take their criticisms to shape government policies.

“He thinks that this interaction with the Ghanaian people is a democratic requirement that as a democratic president, once a while you come back to the people to tell them what you have done with the mandate they have given you,” he said.

Mustapha Hamid said although many called on the president to hold that meeting after a year in office, he believes it is better to hold it as soon and frequent as possible.

This is not the first time a sitting President will avail himself for an exclusive time with the press to account for his government, and also answer direct questions from them.
Former Presidents John Mahama, John Atta Mills and John Agyekum Kufuor, also held a few of such meetings while in office.

The last of such interactions then President John Mahama held was in January 2016.
Mustapha Hamid said Tuesday’s session with President Akufo-Addo “is not a press interaction to engage in self-aggrandizement… We will not come and give ourselves marks. The president will make a few remarks and then we will take questions.”